£5,000 LPG cost saving is a hit with high mileage DJ Rory

Fuelling a round commute of 185 miles a day would prompt many people to consider either a home move or a change of job, but not club DJ Rory Miller, who cashes in at the pumps with annual savings of £5,000 thanks to running his car on cheaper LPG autogas.

For between four and six days a week, Rory travels from his home in Northampton to Reading, where he performs as a resident club DJ. He tackles the journey in his 2004 Vauxhall Astra, which came equipped with an LPG system from the factory.

Explaining how he chose the Astra, Rory says: “This is actually my first car – I’ve always used a bike before but, for the driving I do now, I needed a workhorse to get me around as cheaply as possible, and a car is warm, comfy and dry!”

“My brother used to buy and sell cars, and for a while he had a Fiat Panda that ran on LPG. He saved loads on fuel, so when I asked him for his advice he said I needed to get LPG because I wouldn’t have to endure the true cost of motoring.”

That’s certainly proved to be the case for Rory so far. His daily return journey costs him only £18 in LPG autogas. “My manager spends more driving in from Oxford, which is only about 30 miles down the road,” he laughs. “She couldn’t believe it when she found out how low my fuel bills are!”

The huge amount Rory is saving by running on gas means that he can easily fund other running costs. “I’ve had a fair bit of work done, including things like new shock absorbers and tyres all round,” he says. “I don’t mind paying to fix it, because I know that with the money I’m saving on fuel it’s going to come back to me soon. Basically the car more than pays for its own repairs.”

Rory makes no secret of his motivation for using LPG autogas. “The main perk is that it’s cheap motoring,” he states. “The cleaner air element is great but for most people it comes down to cost and the fact that you’ll save a shed load of cash.”

“Even if you have to pay for a conversion, a high mileage driver like me will get that money back very quickly,” adds Rory. “Once you’ve done that you’ll be quids in as you’re purely saving. I’m taking a holiday soon and I’m just going to drive around – I want to see Stonehenge and the Eden Project, and I’m going to stay with a friend the other side of Edinburgh. I can do all that without worrying about what the fuel’s going to cost me.”

And Rory’s been bringing others into the LPG autogas fold. “I’ve converted a DJ mate of mine who had a diesel Mondeo,” he smiles. “When I got my Astra he asked me how much I was spending on fuel and was amazed when I said I’d done 1,100 miles that week, which cost about £100. He went out and got an LPG Astra exactly like mine, and he’s laughing now – he says he never looks at how much is going in the tank because he knows it will never go over £25!”

One thing Rory would love to see is vehicle manufacturers offering UK buyers the same choice of LPG autogas models they sell in their continental showrooms. “They should be selling those cars here,” he insists. “If I could go and buy a new, factory fitted LPG car today, I’d have it.”

Until then he’ll keep spreading the word about the financial benefits of running a car powered by LPG autogas. “It might not mean much if I say my car costs 10p a mile to run,” concludes Rory, “but if I say that I’m saving £100 for every 1,000 miles I do, everyone can understand that!”

The cost of autogas LPG, unleaded and diesel fuels per litre displayed and used throughout this website is the UK average taken from petrolprices.com. Please note that the savings calculator is provided as a guide. Actual cost implications should be discussed with the converter/manufacturer of your specific vehicle.